Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-06-17
TIE STORY OF Il NIGHT.
BI ". II. ROUSE.

III ". II. ROUSE.
The French clock upon the mantle
chimed the hour. and Mrs. Edgerton
glanced up uneasily from The page she was
reading, to it's face, as if to assure herself
thai she had heard Alright.
"Ten O'clock" she said, half aloud;
"quite time James wore here" Rising, she
walked TO the window and drew aside the
shade.
1t was wild night Without utterly dark
and s:orming fercoly, MS she could tell by
the cla.nor Of the wind. as with loud Shrek
or prolonged roar it swept about the place.
She stove to poor into tho darkness,
and shuadered rs sho thought Of the perils
to which belated wayfarer would be ex-
posed. The cold was intense, and the
drifts must be pilod high along tho way.
Then she raised the window slightly and
put out her hand, that she might feel tho
force Of the storm.
a fierce gust entered through the arer-
t.-e sending the singing fakes of snow
against her face and arms. She closed the
window quickly and returned shivering to
her seat before tho fire.
"Jamcs will not como home tonight;
surely he will not venture, y sho said aloud,
as il to reassure horsoff and vanish any
fears That yentured to suggest themselves.
She drew her chair nearer tho crate, and,
taking up her book, endeavored to resume
reading; but the subject had lost its interest
fos her, and after time, she laid the
book aside, aud leaning her head upon her
hand, fell into a revorie.
She was a widow. and her only son,
James Edgerton, was tho favorito physician
in the small western city in which they
lived.
He was all in all to her, and though
given to having her way with others, to
him she always yielded.
Late in the afternoon of this day he had
been called out of town several miles to
see patient. She had begged him not to
promising to return the early part of tho
evening, he had gono.
Size was q handsome woman, strong of
will, nerve, and body, if one might Judge
from her face and form, and one not likely
to indulge strange fancics, pleasant OR
otherwise; but tonight her thoughts
slipped from thoir wonted bonds of con-
troll and ran unpleasant riot through her
brain.
Common sense, to whom she was in the
habit of listening, told her that her son
would remain at the homo of his patient
until the storm abatod. But she forgot its
assurance, when imagination pictured him
saow-bound, or lost in ono of the drifts,
which she knew must block the way.
At length she could romain quiet no
longer, and rising she etirred tho fire and
put on more fuel, and soon the room,
which had grown somewhat chilled, was
warmed by its bright glow.
Filled with restlessness she could not
control, she paced the length Of tho room
back and forth, listening intcntly at inter-
vals, but distinguishing nothing but the
noise Of the storm without.
An hour passed thus; then worn out with
hey vigil, she laid down upon q sofa OPP
posie the furnace and closed her eyes.
After q time, how long she knew not,
she was aroused by Che sound Of the clos
ing OF the outer door.
Games has come,' she thought, with
glad throb at her heart. Yhen steps canlc
through the hall-Jones' step. She heard
the sound of the latch as it turned, the door
of the room opened; she felt the breath of
the cool outer air, and her son entered.
She rose to meet him, with a glad cry
upon her lips, but the words refused to
leave them. She could not move; an I'M
known force held her to the spot. She felt
herself freezing with terror she could not
understand, yet every faculty was alert and
every nerve strained.
The physicians clothes were covered
with an icy coating of sleet He walked
to the fire, without seeming 10 sec his
mother, and stretched his hands out to the
warmth. Soon he turned toward hel and
his face looked strange and still.
The clock struck one, and she noted the
stroke as people often note trivial things
when they are dazed by q sudden sorrow or
trouble.
She stretched her arms toward him, and
criec, out his name.
She felt the cold touch of his lips upon
her forehead, then no faded from her
sight.
For some moments sho remained stand
ing, saying over to herself: "Itis dream"
At length, determined 10 provo to herself
that what she had seen was the result of q
disoraered fancy, she tried the inner then
the outer door, both wore locked rs she had
left them. She made tour of The room,
and finding everything III their usual order,
resumed her seat.
She tried to throw off tho influence of her
dream, but she could not. and with senses
benumbed by the dread it had awakened in
her breast, she sat waiting for she knew
Ro+ what.